Mexican with a point to prove

Javier Hernandez is focusing on national concerns rather than his club woes as he prepares to face the Dutch in Brazil

Javier Hernandez: 'If we want to reach the final, we need to play against the best' (Yuri Cortez)

IN FORTALEZA this weekend you find Mexicans in all sorts of garb. There’s
Tequila Man, his torso wrapped in several bandoliers that, instead of
holding bullets in the cartridge holes, carry miniatures of various spirits.
He holds a huge glass bottle, shaped like a rifle and filled with liquor, in
a holster slung around his hips. For supporters who prefer to travel
lighter, masks are in fashion, almost as much as sombreros.

Javier Hernandez, meanwhile, wears blinkers. The Manchester United striker
has, he says, kept his mind closed to where his club career has taken him
over the past nine months, and shut off to the periphery any thoughts about
his club future while Mexico remain engaged in the World Cup.

“I’m completely focused on the tournament,” he replied firmly to an inquiry
about United, or beyond.

But every so often, the eyes-front concentration yields. Behind the blinkers,
Chicharito shed